From holiday boat parades to decorated lifeguard chairs to seasonal foods and cultural versions of Santa, there are many festive regional Christmas traditions across the country. Here's a look at some of these joyous Christmas customs.

*Bethlehem

Get in the Christmas spirit year-round in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, known nationally as "the Christmas City" since 1937. The area, settled by a small group of Moravian missionaries who gave Bethlehem its name, has been celebrating Christmas there since it was founded in 1741. Soak in the spirit of the season with the holiday lights and horse-drawn carriage rides.

Get your holiday shopping done in Bethlehem at the Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem. The holiday market, named one of the top holiday markets by Travel + Leisure, has been going on for 30 years. Stock up on handmade gifts from 60 artisans. Then enjoy local holiday foods including strudel, German bratwurst and hot toddies. The indoor/outdoor market is open Friday through Sunday in November and December.

*Tumbleweed Tree

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas in Chandler, Arizona, without the Tumbleweed Tree. Legend has it that after a fire in 1956 or 1957 destroyed the city's Christmas decorations, the city of Chandler replaced the decorations with a tree of tumbleweeds. Every year, the city collects 1,000 tumbleweeds starting in October and then sprays them with fire retardant, 45 gallons of white paint and 80 pounds of glitter. The 35-foot tree, which has over 1,200 LED lights, is now a beacon of holiday fun in the desert city.

*Deck the Chairs

In Jacksonville Beach, Florida, residents and visitors celebrate the season with a free, six-week holiday event, known as Deck the Chairs. The lifeguard chair decorating event -- featuring 60 lifeguard chairs decorated by schools, small businesses and nonprofits -- features nightly music and lights and promotes art in the public space and creates opportunity for children's arts education and outreach.

*Sinterklaas

The Dutch community in Holland, Michigan, kicks off the Christmas season with the folk celebration, Sinterklaas. The star of the event is Sinterklaas, aka Saint Nicholas. Dressed in a red cape and a bishop's hat, he makes his entrance to the Kerstmarkt, a European-style market, riding on a white horse. The event also features a parade, a tree lighting, holiday shopping and food.

*Shaka Santa

Christmas in Hawaii features regional versions of traditional holiday elements. According to HawaiiTravelWithKids.com, Santa is called "Shaka Santa" because he uses the popular island "hang loose" hand gesture. Meanwhile, Mrs. Claus is called "Tutu Mele," since Tutu is Hawaiian for grandmother, and mele is a Hawaiian song.

A traditional holiday dinner in the Aloha state is a kalua pig, which is typically roasted in an underground oven.

*Boat Parades

Up and down the California coast, Christmas is celebrated with boat parades.

According to SeeCalifornia.com, California is the capital of Christmas boat parades. They say decorating vessels with holiday lights is a 100-year tradition with Newport Beach, having launched its boat parades in the early 1900s.

Boat parades are held annually in Marina Del Rey, Newport Beach, Dana Point, Long Beach, Oceanside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and many other golden state cities.

*Regional Foods

Throughout the country, cultural foods are on the menu during Christmas.

For example, in Polish communities, there's a traditional meatless Christmas Eve dinner called Wigilia with foods like mushroom soup, pierogi, fried fish, pastries and babka. Filipinos celebrate "Noche Buena," a Christmas Eve feast complete with roasted pork, called lechon. In Louisiana, locals savor a Cajun Christmas, featuring seafood gumbo, turducken and bread pudding.

The Mexican American community celebrates the holiday by making tamales, a seasoned meat wrapped in cornmeal and steamed in a corn husk. According to the Los Angeles Times, in Mesoamerica, corn was seen as the substance of life and that gods made humans from corn. Wrapped tamales were a ritual of sacrifice. These days, tamale making and eating are seasonal treats.

While regional Christmas traditions can vary, the joyful spirit of the season is always on display.